It is well known that hair can be electrically insulating and thus brushing, combing and/or drying hair can produce a static electrical charge. This is generally considered undesirable because statically charged hair can be difficult to style and set and can make hair unruly. Statically charged hair can also attract airborne dust and dirt, which is also generally considered undesirable. It is also well known that static electricity can often be difficult to remove once it is generated and stored in the hair. To counter these undesirable effects, it is widely accepted that the use of ions and/or ozone in the hair drying and styling process can provide several benefits, including the neutralization or elimination of static electricity in the hair.
Prior art hair dryers include conventional, radiant-heat hair dryers designed to deliver heat with the use of a fan powered by electricity. These conventional hair dryers, however, do not produce or emit ions or ozone to neutralize or eliminate static electricity in the hair. As a result, new “ionic” hair dryers have been developed which incorporate a device that produces and emits ions, typically negative ions, and/or ozone into the hair during the hair drying process. These new “ionic” hair dryers, however, require the consumer to put aside their currently operational, conventional hair dryer and purchase a separate, new hair dryer. This can be a costly, wasteful and inefficient exercise for most consumers, as their existing, conventional hair dryer may still have many years of reliable service. Therefore, many people may choose either to spend substantially to replace their usable, functional conventional hair dryer or opt simply to pass altogether on the new ionic technology available in hair dryers.